It was a hot summer day.
Emilia accompanied the rest of the Sunlight Scripture as they moved through the region of Alafaria, located in the north of the Slaine Theocracy.
Their target was an Ogre Tribe that had settled in the area, nothing unusual.
Just the day before, they had heard the Cardinal of Light's angry screams upon hearing the news.
For a demi-human tribe to appear so close to the base of their faith in the god of life was a disgrace for their whole sect, so they had been deployed immediately, not having time to properly investigate the situation.
Maybe that was why things got so chaotic.
As members of the Sunlight Scripture, they knew the scripture better than their own faces, so no one doubted the mission's success, for it was stated that the god of life would empower his chosen warriors to protect the lives of the believers.
They were the warriors chosen by their god to protect his people. They would exterminate this tribe just like they had done many, many times.
But things didn't go as expected.
The tribe was large, numbering around 500 ogres in total, most standing about 3 meters tall, with bulging muscles and ferocious faces.
Upon seeing these numbers, they all collectively paused.
She had then suggested to the captain that they should retreat; maybe calling for reinforcements or deploying guerrilla tactics would be a better strategy.
Nigun then looked at her, his face contorted in an awful expression, and she understood that the man wouldn't listen to anything she said.
His ego had been wounded when she rejected his advances, making anything she said to him sound like mockery.
Frustrated as she was, there was nothing she could do if the man in charge wouldn't listen to reason, so they summoned their angels and began the attack.
The ogres saw the approaching angels, and soon they heard the sound of a bell ringing through the tribe, and with it, dozens of ogres carrying clubs appeared in the entrance before charging towards them, showing no fear in the presence of the Archangel Flames, even as the bodies of the first ogres began to fall to the ground.
This was not the usual behavior of ogres. They were dimwitted brutes who would cower when faced with the threat of death, not a fearless warrior race who could look at dozens of angels with flaming swords without batting an eye.
But they were not given the time to think about why that was, for the reason soon showed itself at the tribe's entrance.
An ogre, easily more than 4 meters tall, wearing what looked like magic armor and wielding a large sword, stood there, looking at them menacingly.
They immediately understood who that was.
This was an Ogre Lord, a creature strong enough to tip the scales of the battle. He entered the battlefield, mowing the angels with ease.
Each swing of his massive sword would destroy two or three angels, and his roars would fill the other ogres with confidence that increased their morale.
That was an Ogre Lord in the Realm of Heroes, an existence they had no hope of defeating.
Emilia looked at their captain, Nigun, who, in turn, looked terrified at the Ogre Lord without saying anything.
Biting her lips, she grabbed an item from her bag and activated it, making a red light fly in the air before exploding.
This was an emergency signal to call for reinforcements.
She then yelled at the top of her lungs for everyone to retreat.
And retreat they did, losing many members in the process as they tried to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers, only persisting in hopes that someone would come and help them.
And thankfully, someone appeared.
She recognized them at a glance, for they were famous in the circles of the scriptures.
The Quintia siblings, Windstride and One-Man Army, were both members of the Black Scripture and people in the Realm of Heroes.
Windstride, whom she later came to know as Clementine, ignored them and the common Ogres, making her way towards the Ogre Lord before engaging him in combat.
As her name suggested, she was incredibly nimble, easily dodging the demi-human's big attacks while stabbing him with her stilettos, which she did while giving a deranged laugh that finally made the Ogres show fearful expressions.
In stark contrast, the One-Man Army, Quaiesse, politely nodded to the members of the Sunlight Scripture before summoning a whopping 50 Archangel Flames that quickly entered the battlefield.
Noticing her gaze, he glanced at her and smiled before asking for her help in the battle.
Embarrassed, she looked at Nigun, who hadn't recovered yet, and began yelling commands to the members of the scripture, who summoned their angels and sent them to join the battle.
It took a few hours, but by sunset the mission had been completed.
After having her fill, Clementine said she was going back home.
The Quintia state was nearby, which was why they could respond to the emergency signal so quickly.
Quaiesse ignored his sister, choosing instead to chat with Emilia, who also turned a blind eye to her captain's darkening expression.
That was the first time she met Quaiesse.
"So, can you answer me now?" Hearing the voice of the undead monster in front of her, Emilia was taken out of her reverie.
The man, Ainz Ooal Gown, spoke in a gentle tone, but she still shivered upon hearing him, with memories of the fight near that village and the days of torture that followed flashing quickly through her mind.
When he first asked her about Quaiesse, she didn't answer him immediately, which provoked a big reaction from the vampire who had been tormenting her.
This reaction seemed to displease Ainz, who then ordered everyone to leave them, instructing the vampire and the doppleganger to wait for him in the Throne Room.
Was this man a king? If so, from where?
She still didn't know where she was, but judging by the visible blue sky and the jungle surrounding the arena, they should be outside.
With a bit of luck, this would still be in the Great Forest of Tob.
If she could only distract these monsters, then she might be able to escape using [Fly], and once she got deep into the forest, then she would contact Quaiesse and ask for his help.
"How fascinating." Ainz looked at her curiously.
"Your eyes still retain hope even in this situation. That's very interesting."
"What do you mean?" She replied, wary.
"It's just that I was curious. Out of all the prisoners captured, you were the only one who never gave any information, keeping your mouth shut the whole time." He didn't sound angry, only amused, but there was also a hint of condescension in his tone that bothered her.
"You've really hurt Neuronist's pride. The poor girl almost cried in frustration; you had to see. When Shalltear asked for you, half the reason I agreed was so she wouldn't get too obsessed with you, because you see, despite how she looks, Neuronist is surprisingly sensitive."
Hearing him talk about her torturer with such tenderness was disquieting. His tone was full of a paternal love that looked out of place for him and for the target of this love, that octopus monstrosity that chatted on and on about girly things even as it skinned her face.
"Anyway. Initially, I thought you might be a fearless woman, someone who wouldn't care, no matter which torture was inflicted on her, but" he looked at her trembling body.
"Reality seems very different from that, don't you agree?"
"Shalltear did a number on you, didn't she?"
"She is a cruel one, isn't she? Not very out of place here, but even I have to admit that some of my subordinates can be quite twisted in their hobbies. I don't quite approve of them, but I don't have it in me to condemn them either; they were simply created that way, after all."
Emilia quietly listened as Ainz rambled on and on by himself.
He seems… surprisingly chatty?
And also lonely?
Strange as this might seem, this was her assessment. He reminded her a bit of Clementine in the way that they both didn't seem to have anyone to talk to, and ended up monologuing at her.
She had been quite sad after hearing the news that Clementine had betrayed their country.
Despite the betrayal, she secretly wished that she could flee successfully, even if her own brother didn't share the feeling.
But now was not the time to think about her friend.
Wait, could I use this to my advantage?
"Do you have more subordinates under you?" She worked up her courage and asked.
"Oh? Look at you, trying to gather information, ain't you a cute one?" Ainz teased as he pinched her cheeks.
"I don't mind answering, but you have to first answer my question."
"Are you in love with this Quaiesse individual?"
"Huh?" Emilia rubbed her cheeks, surprised by the sudden question.
"I asked you if you love the man known as the One-Man Army, the one with the talent you strangely refuse to confirm, even though I have already got the information from Nigun a long time ago." She felt like Ainz had rolled his eyes, even if he didn't have any.
"Ah,hum. Yes?"
"And how is it like to be in love?" The man asked her curiously, the lights in his eyesockets flickering with interest.
"Ah…" She didn't know how to answer that.
"Oh yeah, it's my turn to answer, right? I have many subordinates under me, around 600 to 800 if I count all the vassals, and more than 1000 if I include the PoP monsters. Now answer my question."
That's a small number. Less than even a town. Maybe if we gather an army and bring all the scriptures together, we can destroy these monsters.
Even as she calculated her chances, Emilia did not forget to entertain Ainz.
But how exactly should I answer this question?
"It's good? At least I feel good while being in love with him. It's a difficult thing to answer in a short time." She scrambled to answer, but still fell short.
"I understand, as I have been wrestling with this same question for a few days." Ainz didn't seem angry with her lackluster response.
"Very well. I'll give you a few days to think things over before giving me a proper answer. Now, I think it's about time to talk about the proposal I told you about before, but first, we should crush this illusion you seem to have created about your situation."
"First of all, [Dominate]."
Emilia felt a power seeping into her body, gripping her soul, and taking control of her will.
Her body relaxed against her will, and her thoughts came to a halt.
"Now tell me, what is the talent of the man known as Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia?" She heard Ainz's voice, and her thoughts began to move quickly towards her memories related to Quaiesse's talent, and she opened her mouth, hearing herself talking.
"He calls his talent 'Double Summoning'. It doubles the number of summoned beings when he summons creatures with spells or items."
"Oh, interesting."
"And tell me, what is it that you value the most in this world?"
Once again, her mind moved on its own, and she found herself answering honestly.
"The Sunshine Orphanage, located in Alafaria, is the most important thing in my life."
"Oh. Why?"
"It's the place where I grew up. If it wasn't for the people there, I would have died a long time ago."
"I see." Ainz then moved his hand, and Emilia regained control over herself.
Gasping for breath, she looked at Ainz with fear in her eyes.
"There's no need to look at me like that. I only wanted to show you that you were never truly in control of the information you hold. I could at any moment force you to confess anything I want."
He then pointed at the sky outside.
"Now, I'll give you time. Go and try to flee with all your might."
"I assure you that no one is going to try to stop you."
There was a seriousness in his tone that didn't admit any discussion.
Emilia looked at him, and then at the sky, only hesitating for a moment before casting [Fly].
It could be a trap, but she couldn't give up on a chance of escaping.
…
Bam!
Emilia slammed her fists against what should have been air, but felt a solid sensation against her hands.
What is going on? Is this a barrier?
She flew up while feeling the barrier.
"Ugh!" She hit her head against something above, and touched it, once again feeling a solid barrier where there should have only been a sky.
"What is happening?" Did Ainz cast a giant barrier to prevent her from fleeing?
"There's no need for panic; these are simply the limits of this floor." Suddenly, she heard Ainz's voice coming from her side.
She turned around, and there he was, flying leisurely to her side, looking approvingly at the barriers she had been touching.
"Floor?" What did he mean by that?
"Yes. You see, you are currently in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, more specifically on the 6th floor."
He then stole a glance at her and continued.
"We're not outside, but underground," he knocked at the barrier, as if to prove a point, before pointing at the sky.
"It's pretty, isn't it? It wasn't originally like this, but a friend of mine, Blue Planet, designed this sky and sun, making them so beautifully that one can be excused for thinking that this is the outside world."
She couldn't understand what he was saying. What did he mean by someone designed the sky and the sun?
She looked up, saw the sun, and felt the heat emanating from it. No matter how she thought about it, this was the real thing.
"He was always obsessed with the idea of nature, and before coming to this world, I had no way of judging how accurate he had been in his creation, but seeing as even you, a native, couldn't tell, I think he would be very proud of his work." Ainz nodded to himself before turning to her.
"Can we move on? There are a few extra things that I need to show to put you in the right mindset for hearing my proposal."
Before she could even respond, he grabbed her hand, and she heard him say "[Greater Teleportation."
And suddenly they were back at the lounge where they had been talking before.
"Ah!" A scream escaped her lips upon seeing corpses scattered on the ground.
They were frozen solid, and she could even see a bit of snow on their tattered clothes.
"Wow! Why are you reacting like this? It was you and your group who killed them, so there's no reason for such a reaction."
"We killed them?"
"Yes. These are some of the villagers you guys murdered in your quest to kill the Warrior Captain, don't you remember?"
Oh! So it's them.
"Well, I had someone bring them here to show you another thing."
"[Create Middle-tier undead x 12]"
After he spoke, 12 wisps of black smoke flew from his body and entered the corpses.
What followed was a grotesque spectacle, as 12 black masses of goo quickly took shape, each forming an undead.
There were 6 types of creatures, with 2 of each kind.
She felt like they looked familiar.
"These are Death Knights, Death Warriors, Death Archers, Death Assassins, Death Priests, and Death Wizards. By your way of classifying power, they should all be in the Realm of Heroes."
Upon hearing these names, she understood why these undead were so familiar.
After she started dating Quaiesse, she familiarized herself with the Scripture of Darkness, which had been left behind by the god of death, whom the Black Scriptured followed.
These undead were among the ones said to be creations of the god of death.
It was said that before he was murdered by the Eight Greed Kings, many of these undead existed in the Slaine Theocracy, following their god, but after his death, they all disappeared.
Looking at Ainz, she suddenly recalled something that left her trembling.
The god of death, Surshana, was the strongest of the Six Great Gods, a being that could do impossible things, and wasn't he depicted as a skeletal undead with red flames for eyes?
Ainz ignored what she was thinking and continued with his explanation.
"These undead aren't very powerful, but they should be comparable to your country's Black Scripture, and they even have the same number of members, 12."
"But seeing as I can create 12 of them each day, I think the odds are in my favor in the long run."
Emilia could understand what this man was saying. To have the ability to create so many powerful undead every day was beyond the ability of a mortal.
This was the power of a god.
She felt cold sweat on her back, her face paled, and suddenly she felt weak.
"Hey, are you alright?" Ainz held her arm, infusing wisps of light into her body, making her feel comfortable.
He gently placed her into one of the chairs.
"Hum… was that too much for you?"
A god had been speaking with her all this time.
Oh! How foolish she was. They shouldn't oppose someone like this; they should only beg him to have mercy on them.
"A-Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!" She looked at him.
"Only Ainz, please."
"Ainz-sama. What do you want from me?" She bowed to him, asking respectfully.
"Oh? Are you ready to listen? Good."
"The Black Scripture is currently transporting an item I desire, and I want your cooperation in acquiring it."
"Do a good job, and I will free you from Shalltear and guarantee your and your loved ones' safety."
"What do you think?"
There was no need for any more thinking.
"I agree."